Moral Conflicts
by Onyxus
Summary: Survival was her main priority, though after a coincidental meeting with a surprisingly sane policeman she finds herself driven in a much more safer yet still as complicated lifestyle. And while trying to befriend each member of the survivors she finds her primal goal approaching a twist neither she nor the redneck involved were ready for. Daryl/OC
1. Beginner's Luck

_**Well, being a new yet hard-on "Walking Dead" fan I came up with this, which firstly started as daydreaming about our favorite character Daryl. **_

_**WARNING: In this particular story there will be a big age difference between my character and the redneck so if anyone feels uncomfortable or finds it odd please instead of flaming just leave. Now don't get me wrong! I'm not planning to make Daryl a sucker for seventeen-year-olds, but more like want to recreate that moment where a high school girl gets her first major crush and in time finds out just how many painful consequences she'll have to endure because of it. And Daryl, being the typical redneck, will face both confusion and frustration along the way of understanding his own feeling. **_

_**Take note that I am still learning how to write so my work may not be fulfilling to some people' expectations.**_

_**Disclaimer: I own nothing except Irene and her weirdo character.**_

Rois leaned against the heated car door in seek of much needed support while trying to catch her breath, all the while keeping her muscles strained and hearing sharp in case there was a walker nearby.

She tried to lessen the sound, but it seemed that her deep intakes were beyond her power, as though her body had chosen by itself to fill its depths with the hot, dry summer air that weighted over the forsaken, zombie infested state.

Nostalgia settled in as the teenager continued to listen to the tranquility that remained in the neighborhood she had ended ravaging.

She remembered the bright, peaceful times when she would eat until she was full, sleep without the nagging thought of a flesh eating corpse finding her haunting her dreams. She resurrected every little detail, no matter if good or bad, she could find in her memory about the life people lived before the epidemic started, before the dead rouse from their graves, before her family was taken away.

Rois closed her mouth, cutting off her air feast to push back the saliva that had puddled around her tongue.

With that single swallow she tried to force back her melancholy and the memories it emerged from.

That's what they were, memories. They were in the past and they wouldn't come back, not her mother, nor her father or any other she had loved and cared for. She was alone now, one of the few _lucky_ survivors, and now there was one reason for her to keep fighting, to keep pushing 'till the next day.

Existence.

Much like the undead thrived for flesh and blood she thrived to continue living, maybe long enough to prove to herself that she wasn't alone, not yet.

A distant moan interrupted the silence reigning over the street and caused the teenager to shudder and push back her cogitation for another, more suitable time.

She lifted her head to the broken car window, seeing the uncoordinated, stumbling movements of a walker as it approached her hiding spot.

Her eyelids were lowered slowly while she exhaled, regaining the blank expression she chose to carry throughout her trip as the compose of a survivor kicked in.

She stepped back, her hand pressed against the car to aid her stealth, and grabbed the full rucksack that had been laid within close reach.

Her crouched form hid behind the front of the car in time with the walker's passing by, leaving only her to be aware of the other's presence.

The overpacked bag was pulled closer to her before she unclasped the sharpened hunting knife secured to its side.

She leaned her head beyond the car's protecting frame, risking her hiding spot in order to insure herself that she was facing the slumping zombie's back, before starting to close in.

Her footsteps were heard, though the walker's neck was locked between her shoulder and arm before it was able to turn and identify the location of the sound. A choked hiss rouse from its crushed throat before Rois forced the blade of the knife through the back of its skull, ceasing its frantic struggling momentarily.

The corpse was carelessly thrown on the ground, left as a treat for the gathering crows.

The teenager retrieved her rucksack and with the blade tight in her grasp continued her journey to the hopefully near police station.

She carried five pieces of bullet based weaponry aside from the small amount of edible supplies and clothing. However, only one of three handguns and two shotguns was filled with bullets, everything else was empty, for which she had chosen the station as her next stop.

Murky brown eyes dashed around the thankfully empty street, serving as a radar for zombies, while Rois hastily moved from one spot to the next, determined to reach her destination.

The city map was pulled out of its hold between her jeans and belt as soon as she hid behind a large trash can.

She trailed a finger over the streets around the marked police station and noticed the same name she had read when first entering the neighbourhood she currently hid in.

She bit her lip to preserve the wide smile that was fighting for a chance to show and turned to the corner of the farthest building, knowing that beyond it stood her chance to live.

The map was secured back in its place before the teenager emerged from behind the trash can's securing form and eagerly ran along the street.

Her shoulder was roughly pressed against the last building depriving her of the opportunity to see the station. And just her luck that same building turned out to be a large and rather robbed convenience store, but still products could be seen either on the shelves or lying on the ground.

She sighed, exhausted, though the meek sound was deafened by the countless crickets protesting for dearly longed rain.

Better supply herself now instead of returning later and risking to meet a herd of undead.

She stepped over the broken window and examined the sight lying in her feet before lifting a hand to her mouth.

A corpse, supposedly the cashier, laid on the tile floor, ripped in two and torn brutally. Flesh and dried blood wreaking of rotten were bombarded by fat green tinted flies, which did nothing to help her in her attempt to contain her sickness.

Rois moved away from the gruesome image and turned her attention to the scarce leftovers from the multiple break-ins as a method to forget the results of a walker's attack.

Her curiosity bellowed for her to delve deeper, explore the store to its ending aisles, though the teenager didn't take a step further than the front shelves. She honestly preferred to take that which she could find in the sunlight rather than enter the shadowed parts and end up a walker's meal.

Her rucksack weighted on her back as she made her out of the store and back on the streets.

She could have continued her scavenge, though the meek grunts and moans erupting from the far pitch black ends forced her to abandon her side quest before it became too dangerous.

She chuckled, finding the meaning of the word rather ironic. "Dangerous" was an adjective used to describe the past, nowadays it just didn't seem to appeal to the atmosphere. The word best portraying the present was "suicide". You'd most likely be thought as a freak if you _didn't_ want to end your life with the current chaotic conditions looming over humanity's survival.

"Well, guess I'm a freak then." she mumbled nonchalant.

Freak or not, Rois was alive and she would continue striving for existence for as long as her legs could carry her.

The binoculars hanging below her neck were lifted to her eyes to scan the police station's yard for any undead.

None could be seen, making the teenager flutter in joy.

She exhaled before crossing the street with a sprint, yet still cautious for nearby danger.

The teenager spared the empty yard a final glance of insurance before shutting the metal gates and shuffling the rucksack off her back.

Eyes lingered over the various supplies she had stored while searching for the one charged handgun to replace her knife with. She had some trouble with rummaging through her bag seeing as it was literally packed, though Rois refused to pull out her hand until the pistol was retrieved.

Distant noises emitted from the door a few feet away from her, causing the hairs covering her arms and neck to stand erect as she listened closely.

Her breathing was slowed in an attempt to increase her chance of identifying the gargling sound a walker usually made, though no such thing was heard.

The rucksack was flung on her back, the handgun she had searched for now occupying her right hand, before she hesitantly stepped forward.

Her palm lied flat on the wooden door while Rois pushed it open, her armed hand extended and ready for any unpleasant surprises limping through the shadowed hall.

No zombies, though now when she stood beyond the door frame the teenager could hear voices. Of what kind she wasn't sure since they were still too vague to be recognized. Still if she was to search for ammo Rois preferred to avoid the tension of being trapped in a building filled with undead.

"God damn mother fuckers." she muttered bitterly, the curse words spewing out of her mouth like venom, and continued to follow the feint noise.

She pressed herself against the wall, face turned sideways, while listening to the running water and muffled voices.

The grip on her pistol tightened from fright that she'd drop it once she saw what awaited her in the next room.

She inhaled deeply and pressed a hand to her chest, feeling the rampant drumming of her heart against her trembling palm.

Not giving her hesitation a chance to dissuade her Rois roughly kicked the ajar door and stepped inside the room. However, the adrenaline keeping her shaking form from collapsing turned out to be useless seeing as the sight before her didn't cover even half of her expectations.

"Oh! Oh God!" she turned her head away in embarrassment and lifted her right wrist to cover her eyes "I didn't need to see that."

Short huffs sounded from the three men as they quickly covered their _buck naked _bodies, a feeling of unease settling in each of them.

Rois glanced at them from behind her wrist, noticing the distrust and curiosity residing in their eyes, much like her own.

"Sorry. I...didn't mean to ahh... interrupt your shower." she sighed while nervously tapping her nails over the gun's smooth surface "Just wanted to get some ammo is all."

"Well you should be!" the eldest spoke, his expression matching his harsh words "And what's a kid like you doing looking for ammo?"

"Is that a trick question?" the teenager snickered, the irony in her words intact with her smile "There are walking corpses outside and you ask me why I need ammo." she lifted her thumbs up "Briliant! Ten points!"

"Listen kid, my question is as serious as the walkers outside. Now tell me, who sent you here."

Rois sighed deeply, watching the hopeless man stand tall and mighty, waiting for his answer.

"I need the ammo for myself because I don't have any." she spoke slowly as if explaining to a retard and leaned against the door frame to preserve what little strength she had left.

"Don't you have any companions? Friends? Maybe family?" the seemingly decent, blue-eyed man standing farthest from the tree asked, his question sincere.

"No, none." she shrugged "I've been travelling alone ever since the invasion reached my city-"

"-Let's...let's have a seat before we continue." he offered once receiving his answer and pressed his hands to his towel, keeping it in place "Sound's good?"

Rois moved away from the door frame and left him to lead while she followed.

* * *

"So, you haven't met any survivors? None?"

"No. You're the first people I've come across and I've already covered most of the major cities." the teenager said after sitting herself on the bench across from the two men while the youngest, a boy no more than twelve years old, strode around, trying to dry his hair with a towel.

"You expect us to believe that a sixteen-year-old girl with no ammo was able to cross half of Georgia on foot without being scratched or bitten in the process?" the older man glared at her, cautious of her sudden appearance.

Rois didn't blame him. He probably had his reasons to believe that she was a threat, though that didn't mean she would let him stomp over her potential and impose her as a liar.

With a bitter expression she turned to both men, glaring back.

"Believe what you want."she started, her voice even, but still stinging, like it was letting out her anger towards them for looking down on her "I just came here for bullets. If you ain't got any I'll leave."

She stared at them, her expression serious, confirming her words, though earned nothing but silence in return. The only sound in the room were the meek complains coming from the boy who continued to rub the towel over his damp hair.

The teenager understood the hint behind their refusal to speak and with a disappointed nod she stood, ready to leave.

Her footsteps echoed around the prison like room as she made her way to the exit, eager to abandon the company of the two bastards.

"There is...ammo." the blue-eyed man said, hesitant, though continued "That's why we came here."

Rois turned around to face him, the hope shining in her eyes prominent, yet she still held her guard up.

With a sigh he continued, "I'm sure their'll be enough for all of us."

She nodded stiffly before walking out of the room and left the rest to dress without feeling the tension of a female's gaze.

She leaned her back against the wall next to the opened door and gritted her teeth to suppress her joyous giggle, which resulted to a wide smile forming on her face.

Her eyes were closed as an exhale was slowly let out, an attempt to try and conceal her excitement, though she still did enjoy the bubbling feeling in her chest.

The girl had started to lose hope from so much time spent in solitude, but after today her optimism returned, stronger than before. And even if she did refuse to admit the obvious, Rois wasn't ready to part with the small group, not after so much time fending on her own.

A hand was laid on her shoulder, making her turn to meet familiar blue eyes.

"Come on." the man took his palm away and headed forward as the lead.

It was then that she noticed the outfit he wore. Considering the other two wore normal clothing this man was no doubt a police offier, if not of higher status.

"What's your name?"

The teenager averted her attention to her side, seeing the young, curly haired boy walking along with her pace.

"Rois." she took her time with the answer, cogitating over whenever she should or should not share her first name.

"I'm Duane." he offered a smile, to which Rois replayed with a quick nod before returning her eyes back to the dark hall.

"Here we are." the policeman mumbled before detaching the chain from the door and pulling it open.

The teenager stepped in second and momentarily located the small carton boxes with ammo.

"Don't get too greedy." the officer chuckled at the sideways look he received before turning back to the displayed weaponry.

Rois didn't pay much attention to the words exchanged behind her, though Duane's question did awaken her interest.

"Dad, can I learn to shoot? I'm old enough."

She turned her head slightly to glance at the boy while he moved his gaze between the two older men in silent plea.

It seemed odd to her that such a young kid would want to learn how to handle a rifle, even if she herself was still considered one. But, it was partly understandable. The boy wanted to be of use to his father, instead of just hiding and hoping to live through the next day. If in his spot she would have done the same, but even if Duane did learn how to shoot it would take a lot out of him to bring down a walker.

"Hey, come on."

The girl turned to see the men leaving with sacks full of weapons and bullets and followed closely after.

"Concerve your ammo." the policeman said while opening the door to the station's secured yard "Goes faster than you think, 'specially at target practice."

The teenager sat herself on the hood of the only police car left in the small parking and patiently waited for the group's next move. It wasn't her intention to listen to the led conversation, though she did pick up some parts of it by accident.

A rather peaceful moment it was until a disturbing silence fell over the buzzing people.

Rois turned to check on them and saw all three frozen in their spots, eyes wide while anxious expressions stared ahead.

She followed their gazes to find a walker limping to the fence of the yard and tensed, though remained sitting on the hood.

A soft murmur was heard behind her, to which she turned, hearing the last of the officer's statement.

"-can't leave 'em like this." he said, watching the zombie as it tried to tear down the metal fence.

"You know they'll hear the shot." Morgan, Duane's father stated, aware of that fact as much as the rest.

"Let's not be here when they show up." with that a gun was pointed at the walker's head before a shot went off.

"Well-" she started after the undead taken down, ready to leave as soon as the policeman started his car.

"-Get in, we're leaving." he turned to Rois and nudged his head towards the car she was resting on, depriving her of every other option.

"What?" the teenager blurted out, baffled.

"In ten minutes the place will be crowded with those things." he stepped in front of the girl, his expression solemn "I'm not leaving you here, now get in."

"Okey." she nodded, finding his decision too appealing to argue about.

He hastily moved around the car and settled in the driver's seat next to the teenager's waiting form.

"We haven't had a proper introduction yet." she pointed out carelessly while staring at the road ahead.

"You're right." he honked twice while parting with Duane and his father and glanced at her "I'm Rick Grimes."

He blindly extended his hand for Rois to shake, to which she obliged with slight fluctuation.

"Irene Rois." she fiddled with the strap of her binoculars, feeling at unease by the car's high speed, though keeping her complains unspoken "Where you headed?"

"Atlanta-" Rick glanced at her before turning back to the road "-to search for my family."

"Mhm" Rois noticed the pang of sadness in the policeman's expression and took note to not mention it again.

She had wept for days when her family was killed so she understood him excellently. However, his generosity and kindness seemed odd to her, but she didn't quarrel nor did she question why.

"I hope-" she swallowed heavily, having lost the usual confidence in her words "-you don't mind having company 'till we reach Atlanta."

"Not at all." he said softly, his voice low and calm for the first time since Rois met him "In these crazy days company's considered a blessin'."

"Hm, guess you're right." she chuckled and turned to the side window to hide her hastily dissolving smile.

She just hoped that he didn't ask the reasoning for her want to accompany him in order to keep the small amount of pride she had left.

* * *

_**Character introduction! YAY! However, in this chapter introducing the readers to Irene was not all. In the very end a vague glimpse beyond her seemingly tough character could be seen. As a teenager, she was yet to take her first step in the world of the adults before the zombie apocalypse came to be. She was not used to taking big responsibilities when forced to hightail out of her hometown and start fending on her own. In time she had grown a hard shel, which was her first impression on both readers and Rick, but when the time for the group to split up came she found out just how desperate she was for company or for someone older who she could look up to. And that was what she saw in Rick when he offered her ammo and took her with him. She had had a choice when he ordered her to get in the car, but in fright that she might not meet another generous ( or at all) person again, she bit back her tongue and did as told. Of course that doesn't mean that she'll act as an obedient pup later on, but in that particular situation her desperation was the emotion that dominated over all else**._


	2. Partnership

_**I never thought I'd be this enthusiastic about writing a second chapter, but after all the reviews and favorites (which I greatly appreciate) I just couldn't help it. **_

_**A special thank you goes to MsObsessive for giving me the names of both Duane and his father, Morgan.**_

A large plastic bottle was pushed in her hands before her partner took his own iron gas container and glanced at the mass of deserted cars accumulated in the deceivingly peaceful campsite.

"Guess people were that desperate." Rois stated while scanning over the countless tents surrounding the gas station.

The two had stopped for the very same reason as the now dead campers, though neither she nor Rick found it appealing to stick to an area where walkers roamed in unknown numbers.

"Wouldn't you have been?" the man glanced at the teenager, hearing a short, ironic chuckle glide past her meek smile.

"Probably even worse."

Her misted, sleep longing eyes jumped from car to car, thinking of each of them as a gold mine that just needed to be ransacked.

"Let's split up." she offered, clearly excited to begin her scavenge, and faced the policeman "We'll cover more ground that way."

A hesitant expression crossed his face while his gaze took a last dash over the campsite for any visible undead before forcing out a nod.

"If you see walkers run."

"Don't worry Mr. Sheriff" the girl roughly patted his shoulder, thankful for his want to protect her "I can take care of myself."

She turned her back to the policeman and with an impatient step approached the sea of vehicles, though the call of her name stopped her before she was able to free herself from Rick's sight.

"What?" she looked back in question, doing her best to hide the light note of irritation from showing in her voice.

The man slumped his shoulders, clearly at unease, and sighed. "Just be careful, ok?"

Rois nodded firmly, a reasuring look cast over her face, and took a last glance at her partner before starting her yearned search.

The two were a team for less than a day and still while living in the hell Earth had become it was enough for them to start looking out for each other. It was just her and Rick currently, which automatically lead to him being too dear to her to risk his potential loss. And it was most likely the same for him seeing as he was so hesitant when they parted.

"Holy fuck!" she gasped at the abrupt noise that emitted from underneath her foot and jumped back.

A hand was slammed against her forehead before being drawn down until it reached her chin, dragging along the coat of sweat that had settled upon her face.

She gazed over the source of the startling sound in self-mockery, fisted hands resting just above her belt.

A rubber doll lied in her feet, staring back at her glare with a wide, carefree smile.

"Great." she grunted and picked up the toy, examining its small frame "Stupid doll."

With a soft exhale she left the doll to slip from her hand and fall back on the grass.

Her eyes darted around her surroundings to insure her that she hadn't attracted any unwanted attention before continuing on with her scavenge.

The girl took note once settled inside a randomly chosen car to rummage thru.

Her daydreaming Rois would preserved for the ride to Atlanta instead of waisting the little amount of time she had to fulfill her life depending task.

A dry cough rouse in her throat before she pulled her top over her nose to ease the revolting smell that lurked in the car.

A glimpse of an orange pill container hiding amongst the three pedals caused her to lean closer and squint her eyes for better focus. And there it was, a small bottle filled with pills of unknown type was being grilled by the burning afternoon sunrays.

The teenager dug her elbow in the driver's seat to strengthen her rather uncomfortable position and extended her hand in reach of the pills.

The enjoyable sound of the container's fullness filled her ears while she carelessly tossed it in her hand with a satisfied smirk.

Luck was on her side today seeing as she just found a container filled with antibiotics, though a bottle of alcohol and bandages to care for wounds would have been as helpful.

The pills were roughly shoved in one of her front jean pockets before she stepped out of the car and pulled her top off her nose.

Would be better if she actually _started_ searching for a first aid kit rather than just grieve over all the supplies she didn't possess.

A packed sack lied halfway hidden inside a large bluish tent, selfishly stealing Rois away from her next chosen car by catching her attention and alluring her interest.

She knelt next to it and pulled out her knife as an insurance against any walkers hibernating inside the tent.

The teenager cautiously unzipped the entrance with the tip of the blade and pulled it aside, unwittingly releasing a wave of stomach churning stench, which chose her face as its first prey.

A series of chocked coughs worked their way up her throat while she hastily pulled her top back on her nose, resolute to push back her nausea.

She tore her gaze away from the pile of corpses rotting inside the tent and brushed her stinging eyes against her raw shoulder, smudging it with fresh tears.

With a light groan Rois dragged the sack closer to her kneeling pose and opened it with visible excitement. However, her excitement dissolved once she was able to take a look at what was stored inside.

A distinct click parted from her sour frown while she gazed over the useless clothes the sack was overflowing with, that is until a white, plastic box appeared beneath the pile of fabric.

She pulled out the box with hesitation, unsure if its content was going match her expectations, though by the red cross illustrated on the front there really wasn't much else that it could contain. Still, in such situations she preferred to leave it closed instead of having to face disappointment, but, much to her displease, her kill-or-be-killed lifestyle called for a risk to be taken.

The teenager puffed out a breath, looking over the messed up band-aids, bandages and cotton balls inside the small container with a relieved smile. However, her satisfied expression hastily evolved into one of alarm once she detected the feint sound of dragged footsteps over the silence.

She laid her head on the grass to look at the path from underneath the car parked next to the now ravaged sack, seeing a pair of worn, fluffy slippers heading her way.

She turned back to the tent, taking it as the only resort for her current, haggard self, before crawling inside while trying to produce as less noise as possible.

Her breath hitched from the suffocating reek, though with the walker nearing she wasn't left with any other choice, but to breathe it in.

A sharp convulse shook her body before she forced herself to bite her lower lip in order to conceal the gaging coughs from seeping out of her mouth.

She watched as the stumbling silhouette walked past her hiding before cautiously leaning her head out of the tent to check for anymore passersby, knife and first aid secured tightly in her grip in case she was spotted and had to fight.

The teenager gladly crawled out after reassuring herself that she was yet again in solitude before pulling down her top and filling her lungs with hot, non corpse stinking summer air.

With a sigh Rois rouse from her knees and headed for another car, in which she planned to both search and wear off her built-up tension.

She settled in the passenger seat, letting her shaky feet rest, and turned to the chewed-to-the-bone corpse slumped next to her, eyeing it in mistrust.

The girl forced her knife through its fly infested forehead, sparing herself the time to give her precautions a second thought.

"Just in case."she mumbled in try of soothing herself for vandalizing the dead body.

Finding nothing particularly helpful, the girl hesitantly took the car keys from the supposed driver's rotting hand and slid from her seat.

"So much for these." she exhaled, finding the rack already unlocked, and tossed away the keys.

Her gaze rolled over the various stacks of hygiene products arranged inside, reminding her just how far she had gone without taking a proper bath and awakening a painful itch in her scalp.

She reached up to scratch her greasy hair, unwillingly ruining her tight ponytail.

For the first time Rois had acknowledged the tantalising itch, which was a big minus for her since she couldn't stop scratching her head.

The abrupt sound of a gun shot echoed around the large campsite, causing the girl to stiffen while she tried to hear anything beyond the dreadful silence that fell soon after.

"Rick?"she called, unsure if he was near or far, but received no response.

She took a last shaky breath before bolting through the labyrinth of cars in search of the policeman.

Her feet felt weak and unstable and the sick feeling in her stomach returned, but the though of losing her only partner kept pushing her forward. She was drained, having skipped the last two night of sleep, leaving her to conclude that if she tripped or stopped she wouldn't be able to continue.

"Rick!" she yelled loudly, eyes darting harshly over the campsite for a creamy sheriff hat.

"God, damn it!" Rois was at the brink of tears, not knowing what to do except continue running until she found him, hopefully still alive "God, fucking damn it!"

"Rick-" a hand was firmly pressed against her mouth, silencing her desperate call, before she was pulled into a sweat soaked, uniformed chest.

The girl struggled out of the loose grip and turned to face her partner's reassuring yet anxious expression, the tears in her eyes disappearing.

Her fright of losing the sheriff was gone along with the nightmarish thoughts of her being left as a treat for the walkers.

"Come on." he firmly gripped her wrist "We have to go."

The man cast one last glance over the mass of jammed cars before sprinting along the uneven path, he remembered, lead to his car, and pulling the dumbstruck yet glad teenager along.

It took her a moment to regain her compose before she freed her wrist and accustomed herself to the policeman's tempo, a feeling of content settling in her chest and almost fully masking the pain in her lungs.

The police car could be seen in the distance, waiting for them, giving them hope and filling them with determination.

The girl's teeth softly clattered once she forcefully stepped on the solid cement while a light pulse emitted from the back of her head.

She eagerly nestled in her seat, her partner joining her not a moment later, and turned to the herd of undead she was yet to acknowledge.

"So that's why we were in such a hurry." Rois stated, reaching that explaining conclusion rather late while trying to focus the trailing walkers. Sadly, before she could get a glimpse of the herd's full expansion the car drew to much distance and she lost it from sight.

"You didn't notice them?" Rick asked, the surprised edge in his voice clear.

The girl shook her head and sighed in shame, her eyes averting from the road ahead to the passing scenery. "I didn't get any gas."

"I thought so." the policeman said, earning a questionable look.

"You didn't bring back the bottle I gave you."

The answer caused Rois to slump back in her seat and mumble an apology, having forgotten the mentioned bottle in the tent she had been forced to hide in.

It had been an intense moment, no wonder she forgot it.

"I didn't find any either." he reassured and checked on the gas gauge, seemingly disappointed "And I'm afraid we won't be able to reach Atlanta with the amount we have left."

The teenager looked at the small arrow, seeing it shivering just above the dangerously low zone.

"So, are we walking once we run out?"

The policeman glanced at her before turning back to the road, "Well, we ain't got much choice."

"It won't be that bad." Rois shrugged in an attempt to sooth the frustration in his voice.

She shifted in her seat and reached for her rucksack before setting it in front of her feet, "And I don't really like riding in a car. It makes too much noise."

The antibiotics and first aid kit were stuffed in her bag, taking what free space was left, before she averted her gaze to Rick.

"By the way, I found some really good stuff back at the camp, so the stop wasn't a total waist, right?"

"Yeah." the policeman answered, though Rois could hear the disappointment in his tone. However, even if she did feel a pang of depression because of her misfortune, Rois pushed it aside.

What she didn't gather mattered lightly. They weren't going back and they certainly weren't wasting time in mourning, so instead of letting her dry sobs fill the car the teenager rewarded Rick with silence.

"What did you find?"

"A first aid and some pills." it took her a while to answer, though when she did it was with a stern, even voice. Her voice.

The girl continued to ravage the inside of her rucksack before taking out a packet of crumbled crackers with visibly great effort.

She ripped apart the rapper before pulling Rick's hands away from the steering wheel and filling it with the salty treats. "They ain't much, but they'll do for now."

The man spared her a look of appreciation before wolfing them down with haste.

She filled his palm again before starting to feed her own complaining stomach.

It was a rather peaceful moment, relaxing for both of them after their close encounter with the walkers.

They were at ease, accustomed to the other's company no matter how little they knew about each other.

Rois pulled a slightly crushed water bottle from her bag once forcing down her last bite and greedily started to devour its old, warm content.

She pushed it in Rick's hand as soon as her thirst was relieved and left the remaining crackers in front of the gear stick.

"You full already?" he asked, concerned of the negligible amount of crackers the girl had eaten.

"I like to lose my appetite from time to time." the teenager said and leaned back in her seat, silently declaring the end of the conversation.

She watched the setting sun color the passing scenery in warm orange pallets, feeling herself start to drift off as her eyelids became too heavy to be kept apart. And after a short battle against her exhaustion, she gave in, letting her eyes close and sleep take over.

* * *

_**Well, by the content of this chapter it became clear that despite the short time they had spent together Rois and Rick are starting to develop a very strong bond. Since it's only the two of them, they do their best to keep each other safe and care for the other's well-being. A short chapter yes, but the smallest of gestures were the most important. An example is the moment when Rois gives up her own meal for Rick and chooses to fall asleep as a way of forgetting about her hunger. Not that she doesn't have more food, though conserving her supplies is what she counts on most. In the next chapter expect another Rick-where-are-you moment to enjoy.**_


	3. The Shrimp And The Shooter

_**Bah! This chapter sucked the life out of me and the worst part is that I'm not entirely happy with it. **_

_**The emotions for some scenes were really hard for me to construct so I guess that's the main reason for my exhaustion. But anyway, I promised to myself that I would write as much as possible during my summer vacation so that I can build up a good amount of followers who will actually wait for the next chapter.**_

_**Eeeeh...**_

She lightly tugged on the end of the dirtied red bandana gracing her head, feeling a great amount of it soaked in sweat from the waterfall her forehead had come to be.

That square peace of cloth Rois had used to wrap up cuts she had endured during her travel, but with the scourging sun beating directly over her vulnerable head a shield had to be made to protect her from a potential sunstroke. So the bandana found another usage as playing the part of that shield. Of course the secondary purpose, which was to keep her forehead dry, left her skin irritated and arose the want to just take it off. However, being an important factor of her current well-being the girl could apply only a light tug to temporarily sooth the uncomfortable feeling.

"You know," she started and pressed herself closer to Rick's chest to expand the freedom of his hands while he skillfully steered the horse "now that I think about it, the car wasn't that bad."

"And why is that?" the policeman asked through his smirk, a teasing edge occurring in his voice.

Rois had nothing against riding on a horse and it made it all the more exciting that it was her first time, though having both her, Rick and their bags weighting on its back made the poor animal's stride greatly strenuous.

They had been crossing the central road leading to Atlanta all afternoon and with the sun practically grilling them it made their trip extremely torturous.

The girl had started to count the broken down, jammed cars as a way to forget about her burning body, though the suffocating heat she could barely withstand. If not for the city towering in the near distance she would have asked for a break.

"It had a roof." Rois had expected to receive at least a small chuckle from her partner, though what followed was nothing but silence. It put her at unease, making her think that her words had offended him, though the light weigh placed on her head ceased her hastily spawning thoughts.

Her knuckles bumped into a solemn yet soft to the touch surface once she lifted her hand up to study the object occupying her heated scalp.

"Rick, no!" she moaned and took off the sheriff hat "I didn't mean it like that."

She watched the man pinch the hat between his fingers before pulling it back on her head, dragging along her hand by the grip she still hadn't released.

"Keep it."

"I don't need a hat." a forceful note rouse in her tone while her gaze sharpened in a rebellious glare.

"If I needed it I would have kept it," the man behind her sighed, his voice strong, free of the flaming tone Rois had used "but I don't. And you do."

The girl glanced at his solid expression while he gazed at the entrance to Atlanta before lowering her eyes in a still undeclared defeat.

"You'll get a headache." it was her last resort to make him reconsider, though it seemed useless since she already knew the answer.

"I've been in the sun before, I'll be fine." the teenager felt the hat being pushed down on her head to decrease the chance of it falling and confirm Rick's choice. "Irene, keep it."

The girl said nothing, being the first to yield, and turned her attention to the horse Rick had been handling throughout the hole trip. "Where did you learn how to ride a horse?"

"My dad used to take me horseback ridin' when I was little." the policeman answered, a meek smile casting over his face from the vague yet sweet remembrance "Said it could come in handy one day. And it did."

"My dad didn't like spending much time with me. " Rois frowned and slightly lowered her head, causing the hat to cover her saddening eyes "He was always busy with my little brother, even though I was the one who looked up to him."

Rick chuckled, "If only he could see you now."

"Yeah..." her frown evolved into an ironic smile while she recalled her racist parent.

Her partner, sensing her melancholy, softly squeezed her between his extended arms. "Don't give it much thought, ok?"

Rois nodded and leaned forward, her murky eyes examining in detail the deserted area they were passing.

"We should-"

"-No." the policeman cut shortly, his voice stern.

"We can find more survivors that way." the teenager objected, earning a harsh look from her partner.

"We are not splitting up." he stated, bringing the end of the conversation with force.

Rois' voice died, giving way to her mind's full capacity while she tried to think of something that might crumble the policeman's hardened decision.

"What if I find your family?"

"Irene, it's not up for discussion-" Rick started, though the persistent teenager continued to struggle.

"-No! What if _I_ _find_ _them_!" she objected, her rebellion building strength "That's what you want, right?"

"And what if you don't?" Rick questioned, feeling torn, helpless and potentially vulnerable without the girl at his side "I can't lose you too."

Silence fell heavily after, leaving the policeman to battle with his own emotions and the teenager to dwell in her thoughts.

"You won't." she said meekly and laid her hand on his stiff arm "I'll have my rucksack with me."

The girl felt the horse stop before a wide smile brightened her features.

She quickly shuffled off of the animal, grinning when she heard it snort in relief and patted its thick neck before retrieving her bag.

"I promise to be safe." she said and looked up at the man in reassurance.

"Just go before I change my mind. "

She didn't need a second invitation.

With a stealthy, though eager step she approached her first victim, which was the back doors to a rather large building she was yet to discover the sort of.

Rois crouched behind a trash can facing the closed back passage and hurriedly equipped herself with a large hunting knife and a pistol to guarantee her safety if she faced a herd of undead.

She dug the gun in the back of her jeans and with the blade tight in her hold reached for the doors.

"Oh come on!" the girl whined once realising that ramming her shoulder against the entrance would do nothing to unlock it.

She stepped back, her breaths becoming louder, indicating her rage, and lifted her gaze to search for any windows, finding none.

With a low groan the teenager slid against the opposite wall, hidden by the countless torn bags full of old garbage and turned to face the sky, ready to plead for a way in. However, her begs were pushed aside when she focused her eyes on the fire escape proudly looming above her head.

A large smirk shone over her haggard expression before she hastily stood and placed the knife between her teeth before jumping up, hands extended in reach for the metal railing.

She huffed, trying to sooth her rampant breathing after successfully being able to crawl on the fire escape's first floor.

Rois was actually surprised that she succeeded with her first attempt.

In the past her arms had always failed her, which had lead to her improvising a pillar with that which was in reach and climbing up that way.

She froze, alerted by the hasty footsteps and guttural groans that sounded as though they were chocking their producer and clumsily stood to face a small group of walkers approaching her.

She had been spotted?

Curses raced through her head while she dashed up the fire escape, doing her best to reserve what small energy she had before it was completely depleted.

Anxiety fell heavily on her rapidly moving chest while she took a last glance at the herd of zombies reaching to her from the alley below before turning to the other end of the roof.

She was afraid for Rick's safety.

He had a horse, which could easily outrun walkers, though if he was cornered like she had been there was no chance he would come out alive and not infected.

Eyes searched carefully for the policeman while the teenager leaned over the edge of the roof, though she saw nothing but scattered zombies, not even the noisy hooves of the horse could be heard.

The girl assumed that Rick must have delved deeper in the city, which, in her opinion, was by far the stupidest move he could make.

Broadcasts from Atlanta had died long ago, meaning that the once secured city was now not much different than the rest of the state: infected with walkers.

Those who had survived had probably fled to safer locations, but her partner would be too deaf to hear even if she did tell him. So she would search, play along until he grew tired of his own hope and declared their leave.

Rois sighed before placing her knife between her teeth once again and thrusting herself forward.

The blade fell out of her mouth before she landed on her feet and rolled to the side, gathering the squalor that was covering the lower roof she had jumped on.

With a groan she pulled her shirt back to expose her shoulder and examined the fresh, meekly bleeding wound carved in her skin with disappointed eyes. "Great."

Now she was even more visible to walkers.

Rois onhaled deeply and retrieved her knife before kneeling next to the only solution that would get her off of the wretched roof, which was a rather rusty, closed hatchet.

Her eyes shone with joy after she was given the chance to look at her surroundings.

Stores of all kinds were illuminated by the sun, each one opened, though missing their usual clientele.

She was in the mall.

Rois bit her bottom lip to prevent her overjoyed laughter from alerting the lurking undead and began a search for a store with hunting gear. However, she ceased her hunt briefly after her gaze landed on a large, camping rucksack, which seemed to stare back at her, wordlessly beckoning.

She practically flew in the store before the bag was retrieved and laid on the floor with her grinning form towering over it.

The girl set down her own rucksack and hastily started to transfer her supplies and gear while constantly turning back to make sure that her noisy steps and stinging wound had not attracted any unwanted company.

Her eyes ravaged the countless stands in the small store, looking for batteries to reload her dying flashlight, but found nothing.

The teenager sighed and rested her hands on her belt.

Well, she was lucky enough to find a better rucksack and batteries could be found in her next location, which was the convenient store. If she could find it, that is.

A gargling moan sounded behind her, making her stiffen before she harshly turned to face the walker striding her way, its eyes locked on frozen form.

She acted on impulse, she knew it had been a stupid thing to do, but before the girl was even able to give a second thought she had already pulled the trigger.

Multiplying, chocked growls echoed in the distance, causing the teenager's already drumming heart to struggle against her ribcage, attempting to break free and find a new hiding spot.

With a hurried step, Rois dashed to other side of the floor, desperate to reach the stairs next to the elevator and leave the mall before she became a zombie's meal.

"Oh God." she exhaled, face glued to the glassed wall lighting the long staircase while she watched the sea of undead approach the building "God, no!"

A certain sob crawled up her throat, only to be pushed back down before the girl wiped away what little tears had gathered in her eyes.

She returned to running down the stairs, seeing it as her only option to escape before the large building became flooded with walkers.

Rois opened the back entrance, her breath shallow from poisonous anxiety, and sent a glance to scout the street for any zombies.

The teenager was determined to not get detected again for the sake of her sanity, though with walking corpses everywhere the task seemed slightly arduous to accomplish.

She straightened from her crouched pose, seeing only a small amount of sleeping walkers, thankfully too far away to sense her presence, and ran to the nearest hiding spot.

Her eyes darted around the small store she had tumbled in, landing on the food covering the rafts and floor, taking it as her biggest score for the day.

Rois closed the partly opened door, careful as to not make any noise before taking off her rucksack, her movements rash from ardor.

She ravaged the almost untouched shelves, taking everything that was yet to reach its expire date, which mostly resolved to cans, sweets and water, before filling what empty space was left in her bag.

Cautiousness weighted on her hastily moving form while she crossed the deceivingly empty street, hiding whenever she heard the vague moans of nearby walkers.

She would grab the hilt of the knife held by her belt when a zombie's throaty calls would reach her ears, though she wouldn't make a move to take it out, seeing as she was already holding a gun.

The girl glanced at the street from behind the corner of an old bookstore and froze, her face instantly losing color, before quickly retrieving to limit the chance of being seen.

She leaned against the wall, her sitting frame hidden by the cars accumulated over the pavement and exhaled.

She didn't know how to react while listening to the horrid cries of the policeman's horse as walkers piled over its struggling form , driven by raw instinct.

The teenager didn't feel anything besides numbness, unable to believe that her partner was dead, or maybe her mind was trying to protect her by denying what she saw.

He was dead. She could hear it repeating in her ears with no switch to turn it off, like an old, broken gramophone.

She leaned her head back in the wall and left the tears to freely spill from her eyes, ignorant of the thick melody of zombie calls spreading through the streets, until gunshot was heard.

Her blurred vision was quickly cleared once the girl wiped a hand over her eyes and stood up, her back fully erect to give her a wider view.

A familiar figure was spotted limping past herds of walkers while trying to clear a path before him, desperate to escape.

"Rick!" she called, briefly stealing his attention from the road, and ran past the barricade of cars to aid him.

She pulled his arm around her neck and left him to lead while she did her best to speed up his pace, cautious eyes following the zombies to make sure that they were a safe distance away.

"Wow! Not dead!" a young Asian boy jumped in front of them, waving his hands protectively at the guns both Rois and Rick were pointing at him.

"Come on, come on! Back here!"

He pulled the torn fence apart, leaving them to enter, and ran ahead while constantly turning back both to be certain that they were following and check on the nearing walkers.

"Come on. Come on!" he urged, receiving a raging glare from the girl, though his anxious eyes were too focused on the zombies to notice.

"Go." the policeman ordered and retrieved his arm from Rois' neck before nudged her to follow the Asian, who was ably working his way up the ladder.

"What are you doing? Come on!"

The teenager looked up, seeing the boy's adrenaline misted eyes staring down at her partner, and snarled. "Keep moving!"

He returned to climbing briefly after her biting words before stopping at the first floor of what the girl assumed was a fire escape.

"Come on, get up." he reached out a hand to help Rick while Rois stood behind both of them, leaned on the railing to rest her strained legs.

To be honest, she had had enough with role-playing Spiderman for one day, but by the looks of her current location she still had a long way to go, much to her displeasure.

She watched the two men gaze over the walkers below while hungrily filling their lungs with warm, dry air, much like herself, and wiped the sweat from her nose.

"Nice moves there, Clint Eastwood." the Asian mocked while resting his elbows on the railing "You the new sheriff come riding in to clean up the town?"

"It wasn't my intention-"

"-Yeah, whatever. Yeehaw." the boy cut shortly "You're still a dumbass."

"Ok, shrimp." Rois pulled lightly on his cap, making him stiffen from the sudden closeness "We got that you're angry, now cool off."

She stepped back and pulled the sheriff hat off her head before lying it over Rick's sweaty locks. "Thanks."

"Shrimp?" he mumbled, uncertain if he had heard correctly or not, though pushed his thoughts aside when he saw the policeman extending his hand for him to take.

"Rick. Thanks."

He shook the sheriff's hand and nodded.

"Glenn. You're welcome." he turned to the girl, who was already back on the ladder and climbing "And who's she?"

"Irene." Rick answered simply "Don't get on her bad side."

"Oh no." Glenn sighed, looking at the growing swarm before up at the seemingly endless fire escape "The bright side: it'll be the fall that kills us." he grabbed onto the first lever and pushed himself up "I'm a glass-half-full kind of guy."

By the time the two reached the end of the ladder both were gasping for air and heavy on dehydration so the girl offering them help was greatly welcomed.

"Grab on." she reached for the Asian, who wrapped his hands around her arm, and pulled him on the roof.

"Rick?" she made the same offering to her partner, though he only shook his head and crawled up by himself.

"Here." Rois took off her rucksack before puling out a small water bottle, one of her fresh supplies, and threw it in the policeman's lap "Share it."

"What about you?" Rick questioned, receiving a small wave in a dismissing manner.

"I'm not thirsty."

"Thanks." Glenn exhaled after drowning his thirst, his newly developed fond for the teenage girl growing fast "I'm Glenn, by the way."

"Irene." she pulled him up by his shirt and turned to gaze at the roofs "Where to now?"

"This way." he gestured before taking the lead with a run.

"You the one that barricaded the alley?" Rick asked before lifting Rois up on the next, slightly higher roof.

"Somebody did." the boy said "I guess when the city got overrun. Whoever did it was thinking not many geeks would get through."

"Geeks?" the girl repeated, a questionable edge in her voice.

"Walkers." was Glenn's replay while he knelt next to a rusty hatchet before opening it.

"Back at the tank, why'd you stick your neck out for me?"

Rois gazed at the Asian, interested to know the answer as much as Rick.

The boy threw his bag in the darkness before lowering himself on the ladder attached to the hatchet and looked back up at the policeman.

"Call it foolish, naive hope that if I'm ever that far up Shit Creeck somebody might do the same for me." he smiled ironically "Guess I'm an even bigger dumbass than you."

A brief glance was exchanged between Rois and her partner before they followed after the boy, finally escaping from the sun's merciless gaze.

Shallow gasps echoed around the room they passed while all three struggled to breathe and keep their tempo until safety was reached.

Rick turned to the teenager once her struggling intakes reached his ears and noticed her paled face.

He enclosed her trembling hand in his own and tightly squeezed, earning a quick glimpse. "Just a little bit more."

She nodded, thankful, though kept her on eyes on Glenn, hoping that he would bring them to a safe area before she collapsed.

"I'm back" he declared over the walkie talkie in his hand "Got guests plus four geeks in the alley."

Rois lifted her bowed head, her eyes confirming Glenn's words.

She stiffened, ready to run back up the stairs if the approaching walkers came too close. However, before they did they were taken down.

Two people in police gear mercilessly rammed their bats in the zombies' skulls, drawing dark red blood, which spilled over the cement floor hastily.

"Let's go." Glenn entreated and ran ahead.

A relieved smile lightened Rois' exhausted expression when she entered a secured room filled with people, thinking that she would be able to retain her energy without having to worry about walkers. But she was wrong.

"You son of a bitch ."

Rick was roughly shoved back, causing him to lose his grip on his partner and leave her to stumble until she hit Glenn's chest.

"Hey," the Asian helped Rois retain her balance before his gaze stuck to her sickly pale face "are you ok?"

The girl only patted his shoulder in reassurance before kneeling down and starting to rummage through her rucksack, preferring to ignore the questionable look she he sent her.

She paid little mind to the two men that entered a moment later, being far too concentrated in ravaging her bag in search of her second gun.

She stood up, a pistol held tightly in each of her hands and stepped behind the blond woman who seemed too caught up in her argument with the curly haired man next to her to notice.

"Andrea, I said back the hell off." the man ordered, though since the weapon was held by the blonde, she didn't seem to be feeling threataned "Or pull the trigger."

Andrea didn't budge, confused by her own outburst, though didn't lower her pistol from the policeman's head. That is until the sound of two meek clicks that emitted behind her made her turn around and face two large, glinting guns pointed at her head.

"Put your toy down or I will blow your brains out."

A solemn expression dulled the teenager's features while she stared at the blond woman, unaffected by her scourging glare.

Silence fell over the small group of people, putting each at unease from the tension until Andrea broke, causing her rival to slightly lift her chin and lower her eyelids, as though she was looking at scum.

The blonde pulled away her pistol and stepped back from Rick, her glare evolving into a look of despair.

"We're dead...all of us-" the teenager saw her eyes shine, damped with tears "-because of you."

Rois flung her rucksack on her back, weapons retracted, and joyned Glenn's side, watching her partner move his eyes from person to person in seek of information, though was given none.

"I don't understand."

"Look, we came into the city to scavenge supplies." the man with dark, curly hair roughly grabbed his upper arm and lead him away, the rest of group following closely after "You know what the key to scavenging is? Surviving!" he roughly pushed Rick forward "You know the key to surviving? Sneaking in and out, tiptoeing-"

Rois examined the store full of clothes they ended up in, surprised that there was actually a place, which was not ravaged by scavengers.

She forced her attention back to the front of the group, seeing a line of walkers so thick that the street outside couldn't be seen clawing at the windows, and shuddered as glimpses of the occurred events earlier that day filled her head.

"-You just rang the dinner bell." Andrea stated, irony clear in her voice while she hopelessly watched the zombies try to break the glass doors.

The girl should have known, considering she had unwittingly put herself in the same situation when she tried to scavenge the mall.

She didn't want to admit it for the sake of the living surrounding her, but she wasn't given much of a choice.

The blonde was right, they were as good as dead.


End file.
